Chasing the clouds
by Cosmos Sirius
Summary: Hermione has lost her honor and her will to live her life after the war which has costed Ron's life. How will she be able to tread the waters with someone as anti social as her husband Severus Snape and on orphaned toddler Ted who is as lost as she is? Will Snape be able to bring her back from oblivion...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Madam J. K Rowling .I have just made their lives more vivid for my readers to comprehend the characters effectively.**

 **Plot: This story is about a broken Hermione who is grieving on Ron's death and her dark haired savior Severus Snape brings her back to life. It does not follow the books after Half-blood prince. It is written with Snape's POV. It is worth reading, even for those who hate their pairing with a passion seldom found. So enjoy and live your live with zeal and zest.**

 **Chasing the clouds**

 **Chapter 1:**

Once glossy leaves were turning honey colored and were hugging the musky ground of Bulgaria with every gust of wind. I was engineering my way through orchard thinking about my life. I was always a precious pawn of Dumbledore and Dark Lord, but a pawn nonetheless. I was merely eighteen years old when I joined the ranks of the Death Eaters and was twenty one years old when I became a double agent and the Potions Master of Hogwarts. Thirty eight years of my life had been spent in pleasing people first my mother, then Dark Lord and Dumbledore. I had always been toyed by the people I loved, that had made me bitter and anti-social. I was sent in Bulgaria two weeks ago to pinpoint the location of Gregovitch's prison and then signal Dark Lord to arrive and personally finish his business with him. I had accomplished my mission just last night and was returning to Britain in a few minutes.

I pushed open the mahogany door of International Portkey Centre of Bulgaria and went to the counter where a striking, blonde witch handed me my portkey, a gold locket, booked for me by the Malfoys. I followed the witch to my portkey booth. I grabbed the locket and closed my eyes. I felt a strong pull, emerging from my navel and moments later I found myself in the grey, dimly lit Malfoy Manor. Draco Malfoy, my god son greeted me and congratulated me on completing my mission I reluctantly returned his hug and followed him to Malfoy's study. Lucius greeted me with his customary smirk while Narcissa filled our goblets with firewhisky. Like always Draco emptied his goblet first and I exchanged my untouched goblet for his empty goblet. We were chatting about the mission when Doholov entered and said in his crooked voice:

" _Draco, Rodolphus Lestrange has brought new, untouched ripe fruits for us from London. They are perfect to take in this season. Want to have a bite?"_

A smile crept on Lucius's face and he winked at Draco and Doholov. Narcissa opened her mouth to say something when Lucius silently hit her with a sleeping spell. He could fool others, but I was a double agent due to a reason. He cradled his chalky white wife to his chambers and announced in that cold voice he reserved for those who he considered bearable:

" _I think Narcissa needs to take rest. She is under a lot of stress lately. Draco, my dearest son, why don't you go with Dolohov and taste those fruits. Snape, my friend I think you should go to kitchens and have dinner. Dark Lord will be arriving here in an hour from Lestrange's Mansion and you should be calm and collected while facing him. Please excuse me now."_

I could clearly see that he was cooking something, but I preferred to keep a low profile. I entered the kitchen and dined on lamb stew and chicken enchiladas. I finished my stew and headed towards the rear door of Main Hall as it was near the kitchens. The moment I pushed open the copper colored, large oak doors of the Main Hall, I immediately regretted that. The Hall was filled with the muffled shrieks as if someone was brutally tortured. No! Not tortured as if someone was ….raped! I whipped my head in the direction of the shrieks and froze in my place. Malfoy Junior and Doholov were brutally raping two young, muggle ladies.

My blood boiled at the sight and I bit the inner side of cheek so hard that I tasted the salty, metallic blood. I quickly healed myself. I had to do something to stop them, to save their honor. I gripped my walnut wand and stunned Malfoy and Dolohov with a flick of my wand. The noise brought Lucius there, but my steel glare froze him in his place. I levitated the onyx colored, large tablecloth from the table and covered their battered bodies. I went near the girls and checked their pulse. They were alive, but unfortunately I was not experienced enough to heal them. I was about to retreat back to my chambers when two bruised hands, with fresh nail marks got hold of my robes.

A girl tried to say something to me, but only resulted in coughing crimson blood on my onyx colored robes. She again coughed and then said in a hushed whisper:

" _You are the only person here with a heart made of flesh and not of concrete. You look like a kind man. Please be kind enough to reunite us with our God and free us from this tattered mass of humiliated body. My sister and I beg you for this. Just grant us death and end our misery. God will reward you with something… something so precious that will blossom like a white rose in the barren garden of your heart. Stop chasing the clouds and embrace the truth….."_

And then she closed her sea green eyes and bowed her head. My cold, grey eyes surveyed them and then the truth settled. They were not common muggles rather they were nuns of a church and were barely eighteen or nineteen years of age. The platinum crosses dangling in their necks were evident of that. There were cinders on their necks which meant that my "fellows" had burnt their church to ashes and took them as hostages, as "ripe fruits ready to be tasted" I looked at their pitiful condition and then made up my mind. I sucked some air in my chapped lungs and then muttered:

" _You are in luck today, worshippers of God. I am being very kind today"_

Draco and Dolohov had just regained conscience and were equally confused by my answer like Lucius. An angelic smile surfaced on the blood smeared faces of the nuns when I pointed my wand at the pile of table cloth housing their bodies and muttered in a cold voice:

" _Avada Kedavra"_

A band of emerald light shot from the tip of my wand and enveloped them. Moments later the nuns were history. They had died in a fraction of second by my single spell, but they were the prettiest and most relaxed corpses I had ever seen in my life as they both had angelic smiles planted on their sculpted faces. Lucius regained confidence and pinned me against the wall by grabbing me by the collar. He bellowed:

" _WHY IN THE WORLD DID YOU STUN MY SON?"_

Before I could say anything, a hush fell over the magnanimous mansion and a chill ran through my spine. Lucius let go of me at once. The Dark Lord had arrived! I did not need to peek at my mark for confirmation as a familiar, emotionless voice muttered:

" _Crucio"_

And I crouched on the ground due to the unbearable pain. To my greatest relief the torture lasted only for thirty seconds and then nagini helped me in getting up. The Dark Lord gazed at me like I was a prodigal son and then said:

" _Severus! You have no right to stun my precious followers. You earned that Crucio"_

Before I could even make up a good excuse for stunning that rapist, murderer Malfoy junior, Lucius prod used some tears in those stone eyes and said in a pathetically helpless tone:

" _My lord, my only son Draco was having "fun" with these good-for-nothing_ _muggles when Severus_ , he stopped to give me an icy glare _, stunned him and_ _finished those muggles with a single Avada"_

Iprepared myself for another long Crucio, but nothing happened. The Dark Lord looked at me and then his snake like face twisted into something which seemed like a grin, but actually he looked more hideous than a dead blob fish. He spoke while looking at me in an odd way:

" _You killed two people with a single Avada?"_

I simple nodded as I was too dumbstruck to actually comprehend what was happening though I tried my level best to digest it. He again smiled that absolutely hideous smile and then said in an annoyingly warm tone, which troubled me to an extent:

" _You pleased me very much when you killed Dumbledore for me and then found Gregorovitch for me and just a minute ago you did something which only a handful people in the wizarding world can do. You killed two people with a single Avada. Today you'll sit with my precious Nagini on the last step of my throne. If I ever had a son, he would have been just like you. You are intelligent, loyal, witty and very adaptable, an excellent wizard, an asset to our side…."_

He would have droned on and on like Professor Binns, but stopped abruptly when Lucius muttered under his breath:

" _And a greasy git, an overgrown bat, and a bull headed worm who had led a more chaste life than that Parish we killed in morning"_

To his utmost bad luck, the dark lord heard that and awarded him with two minute long Crucio. Oh boy! Was I satisfied! Suddenly the perfect moment got ruined when Bellatrix asked us to take our seats in that too shrill voice of hers. I walked towards the throne like a sheep ready to be slaughtered. Who in the world would love to sit with a fifty foot boa constrict, except maybe Bellatrix? When everybody got settled, Bellatrix rose from her chair and said overzealously:

" _My Lord two days ago, Greyback came across three teenagers in the woods. Two of them ran way due to the third one, but we got the third one. She is a mudblood my Lord! Crabbe and Goyle Senior will bring her here in a moment"_

The heavy oak dors swung open and the beafy Crabbe and Goyle entered with a lump of flesh in battered robes tailing behind them. Her bruised arms, her battered robes, her steady walk, her limp, her swollen legs and her bowed face was evident of the fact that Malfoys had had "fun" with her repeatedly over the course of two days. The tremors running throughout her body after every twenty seconds could only result due to Bellatrix's Crucio.

Crabbe and Goyle halted ten feet away from the throne. The moment they let go of her, she sank to the ground like a thread less kite. She was too weak, too fragile, too broken… Bellatrix stood up from her seat and stood behind the girl. She grabbed her shoulders and the girl shrieked. Bellatrix smiled as if her shriek was music to her ears. She looked at the Dark Lord with the puppy dog expression and said:

" _My lord! She is the toughest girl I've ever seen in my whole life. Neither Malfoy's attempts nor my crucio was able to break her down."_

Then she stared at the girl and the said in that irritable voice which resembled more to the wail of a wounded goose:

" _But you know what mudblood! Everybody breakdowns. Everybody submits. Sooner or later everyone submits whole heartedly to our cause. If my crucio cannot make that happen then My Lord's crucio will!"_

The moment those words left her filthy mouth, she grabbed a fistful of the girl's chestnut hair and brought her face in light. Though the lips of that girl were swollen, her small nose was smeared with crimson blood, a large scar was housing her forehead, but those eyes were the same warm, chocolate brown as I had seen seven years ago for the first time. The mudblood, soon to be awarded with a long crucio which might cost her life, was none other than HERMIONE GRANGER…..

 **I hope you enjoyed the story. Please review. Next chapter will be up soon till then keep reading and writing.**

 **Cosmos Sirius**


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

I could not believe my eyes! Hermione had sacrificed herself for the sake of Harry and Ron, how typical of her! I craned my neck and out of the corner of my eye I watched the Dark lord retrieve his walnut wand from his sleeve. My eyes landed on Hermione and I watched a ghost of smile creeping on her bruised face. She was mocking Dark lord when she knew she her death was just moments away. A true Gryffindor! She was very important to our cause. The best friend of Harry potter, the mind of Golden Trio…. I could not just let her die! I had to do something, anything to save her. Dark lord pointed his wand at her and his face twisted into something between a smirk and a grin. He could mutter the spell any moment now.

I sucked some air in my chapped lungs and executed my plan. Everything happened so fast that nobody truly understood what was happening actually. The moment Dark lord muttered:

" _Crucio_ "

I got up from the step and stood in between Hermione and Dark lord. The curse hit me instead and I crouched on the floor. I was writhing in pain; it was the most painful Crucio I had ever experienced. The moment Dark lord realized I was being tortured instead of Hermione; he released me from the curse. The torture had lasted only for twenty seconds but it had drained me. I was paler than the platinum gold locks of Malfoy. Nagini coiled around me and helped me in standing up. Everyone was too dumbstruck to actually digest what had happened there. I cleared my throat and addressed the Dark lord:

" _My lord, I have remained your most faithful servant for twenty years. I have carried out your every command without thinking twice. I even killed Dumbledore for your sake my lord! Just for you. In all these years I have never asked for anything for my services, but I want to make a humble a request now, my merciful lord"_

Dark lord's face relaxed and he shifted in his throne. He coughed lightly and muttered in his usual cold tone:

" _I know that Severus, and I am proud to have a loyal and intelligent servant like you. Just ask and your every wish will be granted"_

His positive reply filled me with courage and confidence. I regained my strength and I let go of Nagini. I stood up on my own and my cold, grey eyes landed on Hermione who had lost her conscience during my speech. I cleared my throat and said in a somewhat authoritative tone:

" _I want to take this mudblood as my slave. I am thirty-eight years old and I think it is in my best interest to start planning for old age. Having a young and bright slave like her would surely brighten up my life. I want you to grant her life, my lord"_

Dark lord clenched his jaw shut and looked straight into my eyes for a moment. It looked as if he was scanning my soul. He sucked some air and declared:

" _From this moment onwards, this mudblood Hermione Jean Granger is a property of Severus Tobias Snape till her death."_

I kissed Dark lord's hand and bowed before him. I was about to take Hermione and apparate to my home when Lucius said the unbelievable:

" _My lord, Snape lives in Hogwarts, the headquarters of Harry's supporters. I know Severus is an excellent wizard, but I think it will be highly ignorant to let him take this mudblood with him. She will have maximum chances of slipping away from our hands there. I propose that she either stay here in Malfoy Manor or in Lestrange Manor under our constant supervision. She can serve us until Severus returns."_

He winked at Draco and Bellatrix and my stomach churned at the thought of Hermione serving them….. I knew Lucius would easily penetrate my protection wards on Hermione as she would be staying in his home and would dishonor her repeatedly. The only way to save her was to magically bind her with me, but for that I had to….I know she would absolutely dislike it, but I had to do it to save her. I planted a deathly look on my face and turned toward Lucius. I smirked and said in a cold tone:

" _Lucius, my dear friend, you know I am the only child of immensely wealthy parents. I always get what I want and I am rather possessive of my belongings. A thing which belongs to me only belongs to me and that's it!"_

I watched Lucius turn beetle red from rage, but I knew he could do nothing in Dark lord's presence. It was time to play my masterstroke. I gazed at the Dark lord and said in a disapproving tone:

" _My lord, she is not any mudbloood. She is Hermione Granger! The smartest witch that has ever graced the halls of Hogwarts. She had secured more OWL's than most of the intelligent wizards in Britain, even more than Flitwick, McGonagall and me. Her OWL's were equal to Dumbledore's, Dumbledore! My lord. I don't think my protection wards will be able to keep her away from that blasted Potter and Weasel. I need stronger connection to control her, to use her against Harry as our ultimate weapon and to grant to death to the Boy-who-lived. I must magically bind her to me and that is only possible if I,_ I paused for a moment beforemuttering, _marry her"_

A hush again fell over the magnanimous Mansion. Everyone was too dumbstruck, too silent, and too immobile. It looked as if everyone got petrified by my proposal of marriage. At last the Dark lord broke the ice by sighing loudly and muttering:

" _Severus, I agree this mudblood is exceptional and very precious to enemy side. I have complete faith in you. I know that you will perfectly mold her into the strongest weapon against Harry and his followers. I think for the first time ever Death Eaters will be arranging a marriage, rather crashing it. Severus, pick a date!"_

An excellent plan was beginning to form in that sharpest mind of mine, but I needed to buy some time to execute it .My grey eyes landed on the numerous bruises housing Hermione's arms and legs and I got the perfect excuse. I turned my attention towards Dark lord and muttered in an irritated tone:

" _My lord, just look at my bride-to-be. the Malloy's and Bellatrix had done an excellent 'makeover' of her. I don't want someone with broken bones and ruptured muscles as my bride. I want her to be somewhat healed at our wedding day. Is that too much to ask?"_

Dark lord shook his head and motioned me to carry on with my demand. I coughed and muttered quietly:

" _My lord today is 5_ _th_ _June and after observing her poorest condition I propose that our wedding should take place on 30_ _th_ _June. I think twenty five days will be more than enough for her to heal properly and for Narcissa and Bellatrix to do the wedding then she'll stay with me in my personal mansion"_

Bellatrix sulked and then spoke in that too shrill voice of hers:

" _My lord, Snape's Mansion is in is far away from here. I think he must stay in Scotland near to Hogwarts after all he is a Death Eater posing as Hogwart's Teacher. I can easily find a good job for her in our Mansion until wedding"_

Lucius also supported Bellatrix. I could clearly see where they wanted the conversion to head. They could not wait to lay their filthy hands on her and I could not wait to cut them along with their wretched faces. I quickly made up an excuse before they could brainwash the Dark lord and muttered:

" _My lord, how can I trust Malfoys and Bellatrix with the mudblood after what they had done to her? I don't want anyone to take a bit off my plum no matter how rotten it is as it is mine and mine only!"_

Dark lord could see my determination and my possessiveness for Hermione. He knew I was rather stubborn and at times nothing could contain me. He gazed at me like I was his prodigal but dear son and then he muttered:

" _I can surely see that you want to be her only master and that is totally fair. You have never claimed or shared any slaves belonging to Malfoys and Lestranges and I think the time has come for them to reciprocate that. I know that after observing the pathetic condition of this mudblood your distrust for Malfoys and Bella is also fair. Bella's reasoning about your presence in Scotland is spot on as well, but I have a solution to every problem. I have my personal settlement, Riddle House, here in Scotland. I want you and your bride-to-be to stay there until the wedding is commenced. I myself will put Blood Wards on her. That way every pain experienced by her will be divided and experienced by me as well. That will keep her save and protected till her wedding. After the wedding it is your prime duty to mold her perfectly and give us victory and the corpse of the Boy-who-lived."_

I bowed before Dark lord and took my seat. Lucius and Bellatrix were fuming with rage and I was watching them gleefully. After listening to the accounts of some more Death Eater raids Dark lord stood up and ordered me:

" _Severus, I think it is time for us to return back home. "_

I cradled Hermione and apparated to the Riddle House with Dark lord. He allotted us two adjoining rooms separated by a set of French doors. I deposited Hermione on the softest bed and covered her bruised body with a sheet. Dark lord was about to cast the Blood Wards on her. He even gathered all the items required for the rite and was about to slice his arm for the blood when I stopped him. I informed him that he had to visit Ministry of Magic of Britain, France and Bulgaria to recruit more Death Eaters in a few hours. A Blood Wards rite lasted for more than five hours and it drained energy from the castor. He nodded and headed o his chambers for a quick nap before going on his long trips which could easily last four days.

The moment he closed the huge, mahogany door of our chambers I got a sigh of relief. Now, it was time for me to become a healer! I folded my sleeves, tucked my long, slick onyx hair behind my ears and removed the sheet from her arms and lower part legs very carefully. I decided to go with my instincts. I warmed some water and added a lot of soap in it. I grabbed a clean cotton cloth and cleaned her arms and legs. I cleaned her face with plain water. I knew the real damage was near her shoulders and back, but I was just too uncomfortable to clean that.

If I didn't had the guts to do that then somebody else had to do it. After weighing my every option at least thrice, I cleared my throat and called, Winky, my personal house-elf of Hogwarts. She appeared moments later and bowed before me. She nearly fainted after observing Hermione in such a pathetic condition. I casted a strong sleeping charm on the still unconscious Hermione and asked Winky to remove her clothes and clean her whole body. After ordering her, I headed to the market to buy ingredients for healing potions and the softest robes for Hermione.

When I returned back, Winky had cleaned her whole body and had covered it with a pale white sheet. Her bruises looked more visible and painful now. Her right eye was swollen. She was too ghostly pale, too bruised, too battered and shivering was just not coming to a halt. She was suffering from fever as well. I knew some basic healing spells so I started to cast them right away on her worst bruises. Half an hour later, most of her bruises were gone from her arms, legs and face. There were just ugly, pink marks left as a remainder. It was time to check the real damage. I skimmed my finger over her covered body with feather touch. She was too injured! Her right shoulder was dislocated, her four ribs were broken, her left thigh muscles were ruptured and her wrists and ankles were swollen due to the magical cuffs. Only a qualified mediwitch or wizard could heal her. I asked Winky to dress her in the robes I just bought and headed to the lab to make potions.

I placed three cauldrons on fire and began to toss one ingredient after another in them. Two hours later all three of them were ready and bottled. I returned back to our chambers and placed the three bottles on lamp post. I grabbed the first bottle. The potion in it was honey colored and was the best remedy for fever. I uncorked it and dripped some drops in Hermione's mouth. Her temperature began to drop. The second potion was deep crimson in color and was the best painkiller. The last potion was pink and was gel like. It could literally suck the effects of Cruciatus Curse from the victim's body. Its color would turn blue when it removed the effects. I handed the last two bottles to Winky and asked her to empty the crimson potion in the bath tub and bathe Hermione with it. After the bath she had to apply the pink gel on Hermione's whole body and wrap it with fresh bandages. I headed to kitchens to fetch something to silence my growling stomach.

When I returned back an hour later, Hermione was deposited on the bed. She was wrapped in bandages from head to toe. Only her eyes, healed lips and nose were not bandaged. She had that striking resemblance to the Muggle Mummies of Egypt. I thanked Winky for her services and dismissed her after ordering her not to disclose anything about Hermione to anyone at all. She bowed and disappeared with a puff of smoke. Hermione's was sound asleep thanks to my sleeping charms. It was a long, long day for me and I was running out of adrenaline. I could not risk leaving Hermione alone so I summoned a sofa near to her bed and fell asleep within moments. I was sleeping peacefully when someone inserted something sharp in my softest part of left thigh and I woke up yelling in pain. Before I could even register what was happening, two callous hands got locked around my neck and someone yelled at the top of the voice:

" _I am not gonna let you live, Death Eater. The time has come for you to repay for your sins. Any last wishes?"_

 **Please review! Your reviews will surely make my day. Next chapter will be uploaded soon. Stay happy and blessed and live your life with zeal and zest.**

 **Cosmos**


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